Stefan Bradl waited 70 races for his first pole position but the German has now taken two in as many races following.

In a competitive session that saw the leading 20 riders all within a second of the fastest time for much of the 45 minutes it became a battle for pole between Bradl, Yuki Takahashi, Thomas Luthi and Marc Marquez.

Marquez was the first to crack under the pressure with a crash at turn one. The rookie had ridden superbly throughout the session but made a slight error that ended any hope of challenging for pole.

Takahashi will line up second on the grid following another strong showing by the Japanese rider who was held up badly by traffic as the session came to a close. Luthi looks primed and ready for another strong race after the former 125cc world champion set the pace in opening practice. The Swiss rider is a superb racer who has terrific consistency and looks sure to be a strong contender in the race.

Bradley Smith struggled yesterday in practice after going down a blind alley with the setup of his Tech 3 machine but the British rookie was back on form in qualifying with the fifth fastest time. Smith is adapting very well to the demands of Moto2 and could challenge Marquez for the honour of top rookie after consistently building up his pace throughout the day.

Alex de Angelis wound up sixth after a disappointing session. The San Maranese rider was badly delayed by traffic as the session came to a close but the former race winner looks to be confident of a strong showing tomorrow.

Michele Pirro, teammate of Takahashi, qualified a career best seventh after a consistent showing. He will line up ahead of Aleix Espargaro and Claudio Corti on the third row of the grid with Julian Simon, Andrea Iannone and Kenan Sofuoglu on row four.